Hurricane Joaquin: East Coast Begins to Prepare

Sean Breslin
Published: September 30,2015

President Obama has been briefed about preparations and potential impacts for Hurricane Joaquin in case it hits the east coast of the United States in the coming days, officials told USA Today. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the preparation includes "millions of liters of water, millions of meals and hundreds of thousands of blankets strategically located at distribution centers throughout the United States and its territories."
East Coast residents, some of which who have already seen plenty of rainfall and flooding this week, are being told to prepare for the possibility that Hurricane Joaquin may bring more disaster to their region. Even if Joaquin doesn't make it to the U.S., parts of the eastern states will see flooding rainfall, coastal flooding and gusty winds from the larger-scale weather pattern.

Grocery stores in Fairfax, Virginia are already seeing runs on bottled water due to possible impacts from Hurricane Joaquin.
(Twitter/Mark P.)

Parts of the coastline, which suffered damage and erosion from strong onshore winds and the weekend's King Tides, have been thrust back into preparation mode with Joaquin just days away from a possible landfall. Places like Surf City, North Carolina, are working tirelessly to clean the beaches and repair any damage they can before the next storm comes, according to WECT.com.

“We’ve had a fair amount of rain during the past week and the ground is saturated in many places,” North Carolina Governor McCrory said in a statement to the press. “The combination of wind gusts from various weather systems and any additional rain from Joaquin could lead to downed trees and power outages in many areas, not just the coast.”

 

State Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry said the state can expect flooding in poor-drainage spots and low-lying areas. "Regardless of the impact of Hurricane Joaquin, North Carolina has the potential for life-threatening flooding within the next week. We don’t know yet how much or how widespread the flooding will be, but we know there will be flooding.”

A small mudslide was triggered by this week's rainfall in Staunton, Virginia, the News Leader said – a scary sight with the thought of so much more rain possible in the coming days. As far north as Pennsylvania and beyond, residents of low-lying areas have been told to prepare for the possibly of flooding if the storm aims at their region, according to the Associated Press.
The NFL is discussing what impacts the storm might have on the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles game Sunday, the Washington Post reports, as well as potential scheduling contingencies in case Hurricane Joaquin hits the D.C. area this weekend.
“We are monitoring the forecast and having dialogue with both teams,” said Greg Aiello, the NFL’s senior vice president of communications. No specifics on when or where the game wopuld be rescheduled have been released.
(MORE: Forecast for Joaquin | 5 Things to Know | Joaquin vs. Sandy)

Hurricane Joaquin spins in the Caribbean on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015.
(NOAA via Getty Images)

Residents of the Northeast, fewer than three years removed from the horrors of Superstorm Sandy, are preparing in case another tropical system slams into the coast. New Jersey, which suffered some of the most severe coastal damage, is making preliminary preparations in case Joaquin veers toward the Garden State.
“Until we know the path for sure, we are doing general preparations, such as making sure all our vehicles are fueled and having Public Works crews clean out storm drains in problem areas. The beach was already cleaned up at the end of the season,” Ventnor, New Jersey, Emergency Management Coordinator Donna Peterson told Shore News Today.
Much the same is happening in New York, where authorities are making sure they're ready to elevate preparations and messaging if Joaquin's path shifts toward them.
"Our state has seen the damage that extreme weather can cause time and time again — and I am urging New Yorkers take precautions for more heavy storms in the coming days," said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, in a statement.
Consolidated Edison, which Reuters reports is in Year 3 of a four-year plan to fortify New York's power infrastructure, hasn't raised alert levels yet but has begun preparing equipment and crews in case they're needed for emergency utility restoration.
Now, the East Coast can only watch and wait to see which region's worst fears will be realized.
MORE: East Coast Flooding